The Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) Dr Ante Starcevic issued a statement on Friday strongly criticising the decision by the Serb National Council (SNV) to present the Nikola Tesla Award to Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Vojislav Stanimirovic for his contribution to the development of Serb institutions in Croatia.
The HSP said that Stanimirovic had been pardoned for war crimes, had served as a minister in the rebel Serb government during the 1991-1995 war and was known for his "radical and rabble-rousing statements", and that as such was "the least qualified person" for the Nikola Tesla Award.
The HSP said that the SNV's decision to present the award to Stanimirovic was "a classic act of provocation" directed at the Croatian public, notably the families of Croatian soldiers killed or gone missing during the war. It said that the decision would only encourage Stanimirovic and his followers to continue their rabble-rousing and radical actions.
The award was presented at a reception given by the SNV on Wednesday for Orthodox Christmas. Among those attending were the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Vladimir Seks.
The HSP said that failure by the top Croatian state officials to respond to that provocation was all the more disgraceful because the SNV was financed from the state budget.
![[FOTO] Porfirije iz Vukovara: Molite za svoje žrtve, ali i žrtve Hrvata katolika; odlikovani Pupovac i Stanimirović](/media/thumbnail/500x300/1825235.jpeg?cropId=0)
